1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an automobile door checker that is connected between a body and a door of an automobile and that controls the opening and closing torque of the door in order to maintain the door at a predetermined opening position and, in particular to an improvement of a door checker that includes a case secured to one of the body and the door of the automobile, a check plate that runs movably through the ease and is connected to the other of the body and the door, a shoe holder that is held by the case and is able to move toward and away from the check plate, a shoe that is held by the shoe holder and the shoe slides on the check plate accompanying relative movement between the case and the check plate, and a check spring that resiliently urges the shoe holder toward the check plate within the case in order to press the shoe against the check plate.
2. Description of the Related Art
Conventionally, in such a door checker, as disclosed in Japanese Patent Publication No. 3-13392, a detent notch, with which a shoe engage is formed on the check plate, and an engagement force between the detent notch and the shoe holds the door stationary at a defined degree of opening.
In the above-mentioned conventional arrangement, since the degree of opening at which the door is held is defined in a stepped manner, the door cannot be held stationary at a position other than the defined degree of opening.
It is conceivable that, by setting a large check spring load so as to increase the frictional force between the shoe and the check plate and not providing a detent notch in the check plate, the door could be held stationary at any degree of opening. However, in such an arrangement, the operating load during opening and closing of the door also increases, and opening and closing operations of the door cannot be carried out easily, without overcoming the frictional force of the large check spring.